Sunday, February 22, 2015

Arm Yourselves . . .

I find a fair amount to object to in Liel Leibovitz's new
piece in tabletmag.com — "It’s Time for Europe’s Jews To Arm Themselves."
— http://tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/189100/arming-europes-jews
—

where he's a senior editor.

He writes: "Given the inability of European governments
to deal with the populations of radical Islamists they have nurtured, and who
have been further radicalized by the civil war in Syria and the siren song of
ISIS, it is irresponsible to pretend that things are going to get better for
Europe’s Jews anytime soon."

He's probably right with regard to his dim forecast about things
not getting "better for Europe’s Jews anytime soon." It bothers
me, though, that he didn't so much as allude to Israel's treatment of West
Bank Palestinians as one reason, maybe the least crazy, for anti-Jewish feeling
in various precincts of Paris, and elsewhere.

If Israel were to cease settlement and find some way to
honor Palestinian claims for a state of their own, would that negate the threat
to Jewish life in Brussels or Paris? Deep question, but not one I want to entertain
right now.

I'd rather cut to what I like about the Leibovitz piece.

If you don't espouse mass emigration— Aliyah — to Israel, and you find it
comical to expect Netanyahu to defend you — Israeli fighter jets over your
neighborhood for example —what to
do, what do?

Leibovitz argues that Europe’s Jews must learn to defend themselves.
They must, though he doesn't put it this way, try to remember or reconstruct
everything about securing safety and survival Jews hoped Israel would do for
them.